2020 Field Update

2020 in the Clark Fork Watershed: Cleaner, healthier, and more resilient — thanks to you No surprise: the pandemic turned things upside down in the Clark Fork watershed in 2020. But ultimately, it did nothing to alter stream restoration opportunities or ongoing ecological challenges. So our work carried on. And…

Winter Forecast:
Recorded Presentation

Winter Weather Forecast: Recording available! If you missed our Dec. 15 Winter Weather Virtual Happy Hour discussion with Missoula National Weather Service meteorologist, Corby Dickerson, you can find the recording HERE. You'll also hear from local climate expert, Nick Silverman, and CFC Restoration specialist and in-house weather geek, Alex Leone,…

Spring Spawn

Spring is in the air, and for rivers this means an impending spring runoff. Every year spring runoff, along with stream temperatures, signals the seasonal spawning migration of both native westslope and non-native rainbow trout. These environmental triggers tell adult fish it's time to return to their natal streams, near…

Laws Processes Policies

The exciting stuff behind the scenes Changing irrigation practices so that more water can stay instream is a powerful win-win solution to de-watering. But there’s a bit more to it. To keep water instream, it must be legally protected. In Montana that means applying to the Montana Dept. of Natural…

Record Breaking Streamflows

As is clearly evident to anyone who has crossed over the Clark Fork River lately, our area streams are running high. So high in fact, that they are setting streamflow records for this time of the year. Following a winter of above average snowpack (that rivaled even 1997 & 2011)…

Some like it hot, trout do not.

New real time water temperature gage provides valuable river information in the Upper Clark Fork. The Clark Fork Coalition recently teamed up with the George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), and the Natural Resource Damage Program (NRDP) to fund a seasonal water temperature monitoring site…

Hot River Tips

Keep cool and be cool to the river. As the summer heats up, rivers lose their cool, making things a little tougher for our fish and streams. This summer is shaping up to be another extremely dry one, but you can help reduce the impacts on our rivers and wildlife.…

Snow and Tell – Tracking Montana’s Drought

2016 is shaping up to be dry and hot ... bad news for our rivers. Seeing a mountain without snow in the winter or a river without water in the summer leaves us feeling like something is not quite right. Unfortunately, these out-of-place sights are becoming all too common as climate change brings less…

Why Jed Lives, Works and Plays in Lolo Creek

As the Clark Fork Coalition's project manager and monitoring coordinator, Jed Whiteley puts in place projects that restore streams like Lolo Creek in the Bitterroot Valley. As a homeowner nearby, he checks out what's happening in the creek every day. And as an avid angler, hunter, and hiker, Jed takes…

Who Turned Off Our Creek?

Everyone can play a part in keeping our streams flowing. When our streams get too skinny, Mark Twain's old saying comes to mind: whiskey is for drinkin', and water is for fightin'. During especially dry summers like this one, it's easy to see why people might fight over water. It's the vital lifeblood…